There is so much information.
Where do we begin?
This page has examples of many different size water features,
look for the one that best describes your water feature!
Each example of water feature sizes title is purple.
Before we begin, think about the following....
A Water Garden and a Koi Pond are two separate things.
Which one do you want? What is most important to you?
How would you describe your water garden feature? A Container Garden, Small Pond, Medium Pond, Large Pond or Natural Bottom Pond? We have listed some information to help the beginner!
-
Container Garden? Perhaps a large bowl, half whiskey barrel or trough?
Container gardens are an excellent way to showcase small waterlilies and other small plants on your deck or patio. Simply fill a no holes container with water. Your waterlily will need to be planted in a smaller, wide, no holes container, using loam topsoil and pool filter sand. You can purchase a bag of unbranded topsoil at Lowe's or Home Depot, and you can purchase pool filter sand at any store that sells pool supplies.
- Loam Topsoil is a non-organic (inorganic) topsoil without composted material added. Composted materials will rot and will foul your water.
- Pool Filter Sand has larger granules than regular sand AND it is pre-rinsed!
Your mix should contain
- 2/3 loam topsoil
- 1/3 pool filter sand.
When water is added to this mix it should form a clump in your hand.
NEVER add the following to your waterlily, lotus or bog plant containers:
- No 100% Calcined Clay
- No Potting Soil as it floats and will rot and foul your water
- No Stones as they inhibit plant growth
DO NOT PURCHASE
API Aquatic Planting Media or Microbelift Aquatic Planting Media as these are NOT suitable for waterlilies or lotus and are good for submerged grasses ONLY!
Bog Plants (Wetland Plants) prefer poor, acidic soil.
We encourage you to watch our waterlily planting video to make sure you are planting your waterlily correctly. Gently place the container with the planted waterlily 1 - 2 feet beneath the surface of the water. Small or Dwarf waterlilies can be placed 6 - 10 inches beneath the surface of the water. Make certain that your waterlily is completely submerged beneath the surface of the water.
Some beautiful smaller waterlilies for container gardens are:
- Berit Strawn Waterlily, a small, hardy peach waterlily with cup shaped blooms
- Hermine Waterlily, a small, crisp, white, hardy waterlily
- Pink Sparkle Waterlily, a delightful, small pink hardy waterlily
- Perry's Baby Red Waterlily, A lovely, small, red hardy waterlily
- Denver Waterlily, a small, soft white, hardy waterlily
Some Marginal plant suggestions for container gardens are:
- Crystal Ball Pennywort
- Dwarf Umbrella Palm
- Snowflake plants
- Orange Punch Canna
- Arrowhead (Sagittaria Latifolia)
- Any Dwarf lotus
Some Pondmegastore Tips for your container garden are:
A small goldfish or two may be added to your container garden if there are no chloramines in the water. The goldfish will eat any mosquito larvae that may be in your container garden. (Use a Water Test Kit to make sure the water in your pond has no toxins, chloramines or ammonia before adding goldfish. It's a great idea to have ammonia remover handy should you do a partial water change and have an ammonia spike
No splashing water on your plants!
Place you container garden where it will receive at least 5 hours of sunlight daily.
Don't crowd your container garden, water plants grow quickly! Choose one, two or three plants that you will enjoy instead of crowding too many plants into your container garden.
Fertilize your waterlily once a month with a slow release fertilizer like Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates for optimum growth, best bloom and ease of use!
-
Small pond, measuring 3 feet by 5 feet with a liner or small pre-formed pond?
A small pond can be a fun and educational way to introduce plants to children or it may be the gem of your landscape, showcasing a prized lotus, taro, waterlily or hibiscus! 60% of the surface of the water should be covered with floating plants or waterlilies to help shade the water. Shading the water will help reduce the occurrence of algae and the floating plants and waterlilies will help to take up nutrients from your pond water.
Place oxygenators like:
- Hornwort
- Jungle Vallisneria
- Cabomba
- Anacharis
Oxygenators help to add oxygen to your pond water in the daytime. Plant your oxygenators in small containers and place at the bottom of your pond. You may plant your oxygenator in heavy loam soil, sand or small pea sized (1/8 inch) gravel.
Waterlilies you may wish to add to your small pond are:
- Citrus Twist Waterlily, an excellent hardy waterlily in shades of creamy- peach, with lush full blooms that bloom beautifully all summer long!
- Gloriosa Waterlily is a lively, red hardy waterlily with pretty, 3-5" cup shaped blooms.
- Andreanna Waterlily is a hardy waterlily in rosy-red shades that fade to silver on the outer petals. The pads are mottled beautifully, adding depth and character to your water garden setting.
- Pink Sparkle, a smaller pink hardy waterlily that is simply delightful!
- Denver Waterlily, a smaller creamy-white hardy that looks elegant in the water.
Marginal plants that do well in small ponds are:
- Snowflakes
- Dwarf Umbrella Palm
- Small Arrowhead (Latifolia)
- Orange Punch Canna
- Crystal Ball Pennywort
- Water Poppies
- as well as many others
Some basic rules of thumb for most ponds are:
Build your pond in full sun (5+ hours of sunlight per day)
No splashing water on plants, especially waterlilies and lotus
Remember to fertilize your plants with a slow release fertilizer like Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates for optimum growth, best bloom and ease of use!
60% of the surface of your pond should be covered with floating plants or waterlilies
Consider the use of a biofilter when you build your pond. You can recirculate the water in your pond through the biofilter, using plants in your biofilter to purify the water, removing toxins, heavy metals and nutrients. This will help to avoid algae growth in the pond. Some plants you may want to consider for your biofilter are:
- Variegated celery
- Canna
- Iris
- Pickerel Cordata
- Chinese Lizards Tail
- Manna Grass
- Taro
-
Medium size backyard pond measuring 6 feet by 12 feet long?
A medium sized pond will showcase your water garden plants nicely! 60% of the surface of your medium sized pond should be covered with floating plants or waterlilies. This provides shade to your water feature helping to aid in reducing algae growth. These plants will also help with the uptake of nutrients from the pond, which will also aid in the reduction of algae.
Some Waterlilies that are excellent for medium sized ponds are:
- Citrus Twist Hardy Waterlily, an amazing bloomer with lush, full flowers in creamy-peach!
- Black Princess Hardy Waterlily, an exotic, dark-red flower with medium-green leaves. Adds drama and excitement to your medium sized pond!
- James Brydon Hardy Waterlily, a bright, lively red with perky, cup shaped blooms!
- Siam Sunset Hardy Waterlily, a scrumptious, stellate bloom drenched in golden-apricot colors!
- Gonnere Hardy White Waterlily, Purity at its finest with this perfect white bloom!
- Jakkaphong Waterlily is an exceptional waterlily with deep fuschia and white flowers, each bloom is 'one of a kind'!
Oxygenators are an important element in your pond as they add oxygen to your water throughout the day as well as taking up extra nutrients in the water that cause algae to grow! The following are some oxygenators that we recommend:
- Hornwort
- Vallisneria
- Anacharis
- Cabomba
Oxygenators must be planted in heavy loam soil, sand or small pea gravel. Use small containers that may be placed 1 - 3 feet beneath the surface of the water oron the bottom of your medium sized pond. Oxygenators may also be weighted with plant weights rather than planting them. Weights are important as they will keep your oxygenators from being pulled into a skimmer.
Marginal Plants for your medium sized pond are as follows:
- Dwarf Giant Papyrus
- Umbrella Palm
- Iris
- Zebra Rush
- Yerba Mansa
- Pickerel Rush
- Taro
- Watercress
- Golden Club
- Orange Canna Punch
- Variegated Water Celery
- Arrowhead
- Thalia Dealbata
- Lobelia
- Mexican Butterfly Flower
- Aquatic Mint
- Bloody Doc
- Taro
- Hibiscus
- Any Medium sized lotus
- As well as many other marginal plants
Marginal Plants add beauty and character to your pond and bring in honey bees, butterflies and dragonflies. Marginal plants add vertical interest as well as texture to your water garden setting. Marginal plants may be planted in containers and placed on shelves in your pond, or be planted in the bog area of your pond in moist soil.
Adding goldfish to your water garden is always a nice touch! Goldfish will eat any mosquito larvae in the water. If you do decide to add goldfish, do invest in a Water Test Kit to make sure there are no toxins in the water that may harm your fish. You may want to keep a bottle of ammonia remover handy if you do a partial water change and your ammonia levels spike!
Some basic Pondmegastore tips for medium sized ponds are as follows:
- No splashing water on your plants, especially waterlilies or lotus
- Make sure your pond has plenty of sunlight (5+ hours per day)
- Remember to fertilize your plants with a slow release fertilizer like Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates for optimum growth, best bloom and ease of use
- When adding floating plants like, water lettuce, water hyacinths or frogbit, keep in mind that these plants multiply quickly and can overtake your pond
Consider using a biofilter to keep your pond water crystal clear. Simply recirculate your pond water through a biofilter planted with any of the following plants:
- Variegated Water Celery
- Taro
- Orange Punch Canna
- Iris
- Chinese Lizards Tail
- Pickerel Cordata
When building a biofilter, use 1/8 inch pea gravel (the same size as aquarium gravel--no larger)
_________________________________________________________________________________
-
Large backyard pond measuring 10 feet by 22 feet long?
Large backyard ponds can accommodate almost any plant or combination of plants, that the pond owner desires. You can choose larger varieties of waterlilies and lotus as well as a wonderful combination of marginal plants. When adding plants to a pond of this size, many factors should be considered. The slope of the sides of the pond, planting depths the shelves can accommodate as well the height of each plant. You may wish to showcase plants in the center of your pond, in which case you must be certain there will be no splashing water on the plants, especially waterlilies or lotus.
You will be adding:
- Oxygenators
- Marginal Plants
- Waterlilies and/or Lotus
- Floating Plants
Oxygenators that you may wish to add to your pond are:
- Hornwort
- Cabomba
- Jungle Vallisneria
- Anacharis
Oxygenators will help to add oxygen to your pond water in the daytime. The oxygenators should be planted in small container using sand, small pea gravel or heavy loam soil. The oxygenators may be weighted down with small weights or tucked into the substrate as well.
Marginal Plants will add character and personality to your pond and help soften the borders of your pond. Marginal plants will also help with the uptake of nutrients from the water helping to avoid algae issues. Pond plants are the most important element in keeping your water crystal clear and your pond water free of toxins and heavy metals. Consider adding any of the following to add vertical interest to your pond.
- Iris
- Canna
- Taro
- Pickerel Rush
- Thalia Dealbata
- Chinese Lizard's Tail
- Papyrus
- Arrowhead
- Variegated Water Celery
Most of the Marginal plants listed above may also be used in a biofilter using pea sized grave. Simply build a biofilter using pea sized gravel (1/8 an inch, no larger, the same size as aquarium gravel) and plant some marginal plants in the biofilter. You can recirculate the water through the biofilter, allowing the plants to pull out the toxins, heavy metals and extra nutrients, helping to avoid issues and keeping your pond water crystal clear.
Waterlilies are the real jewels of the pond, adding color and beautiful lily pads on the surface of the water. Some of the waterlilies we recommend for large ponds are as follows:
- Lemon Meringue, a luscious, yellow hardy waterlily with lush full flowers that float beautifully on the surface of the water.
- Cranberry Waterlily, a hardy, cranberry hued waterlily that is simply fantastic.
- Clyde Ikins, a hardy peach waterlily that is a dependable bloomer.
- Pink Pom Pom is a delightful pink hardy with fantastic, full pink blooms.
- Strawberry Milkshake is a light-pink hardy with lovely, ethereal blooms.
- Texas Dawn is a hardy yellow waterlily, a reliable bloomer with pale-yellow flowers.
- Steven Strawn is a strong red hardy waterlily and booms nicely throughout the summer.
- Snowflake Waterlily is a hardy white and has long, elegant petals on the exquisite blooms. Simply stunning in the water!
- Wanvisa is a hardy waterlily with mixed colors in the peachy-pink petals--often with a hint of yellow.
- Detective Erika is a fabulous intersubgeneric, a hardy waterlily crossed with a tropical waterlily which produced this amazing purple waterlily that blooms beautifully like a tropical, but is winter hardy!
Plant your waterlilies in a wide container using heavy loam soil and pool filter sand. Mix 2/3 Loam Topsoil (Inorganic/non-organic topsoil) with no composted material added (as compost will rot and foul your water).
(Never use potting soil as it will float right out of the pot and foul your water as well!) You can purchase an inexpensive bag of topsoil from Lowe's or Home Depot. Make sure it is not a brand like Scott's or Miracle -Gro, an unbranded topsoil is best. You may also purchase a bag of pool filter sand at any store that sells pool supplies. Mix the following
- 2/3 Loam Soil
- 1/3 Pool Filter Sand
When mixed with water, it should form a clump in your hand when you grab it.
Pool Filter Sand has larger granules than regular sand and is pre-rinsed. When mixed with loam soil, it helps to create an excellent planting medium for your waterlilies, lotus and aquatic plants.
NEVER purchase
- API Aquatic Planting Media
- Microbelift Aquatic Planting Media
as these products are NOT suitable for waterlilies or lotus or your aquatic plants. These are only suitable for submerged grasses in the pond.
Fertilize your waterlilies with a slow release fertilizer like Waterlily World Fertilizer + Humates for optimum growth, best bloom and ease of use. Simply press 4-5 tabs into the soil of your waterlily container.
Place your waterlilies from 12 - 24 inches beneath the surface of the water, in full sun.(5+ hours) Deeper depths is for mature plants.
If you choose to add fish to your water garden, choose goldfish! Goldfish are not destructive towards plants as koi are. There are very few pond plants that koi will not eat. Don't struggle between plants OR fish. Simply choose some beautiful goldfish with fancy fins for your water garden and enjoy!
Some Pondmegastore tips :
- Never allow splashing water on your plants, especially waterlilies or lotus.
- Never fertilize your lotus plants until you have at least 2 aerial leaves growing out of the water.
- Make sure your plants have plenty of sunlight unless they are plants that will tolerate some shade.
- Fertilize your pond plants with fish safe, plant safe, slow release fertilizer like Waterlily World Fertilizer Tabs + Humates
- Don't overfeed your fish
- Remember that water garden plants grow and multiply quickly. When adding floating plants to your pond such as Water Lettuce, Water Hyacinths and Frogbit, don't over order as you may be pulling plants out due to overcrowding! Dispose of these plants responsibly or share them with another pond lover!
Click this link to go to the plants and planting for Earth Bottom Pond Page!
_____________________________
Koi Ponds:
- Koi grow very large, often growing 24 - 36 inches
- Once Koi reach 8-11 inches in size, they become more aggressive towards the plants in the pond and begin to eat the plants and destroy them, especially any new plants that are introduced in the pond!
- Koi require a lot of water, 2000 or more gallons. 5000 gallons or better, is preferable for a large number of fish.
- Koi Ponds require incredible filtration as you are keeping active animals in a small confined area. They need fresh, clean water with no ammonia as well as oxygen to survive.
- Koi are herbivores, or plant eaters, they feed on plants and dig up the roots. Keeping Koi and plants together in the same pond requires a little more thought than a water garden.
When choosing plants for your koi pond, you may want to consider building a smaller pond to act as a biofilter for your koi pond. You can recirculate the water from the koi pond through the smaller pond containing the plants, thus removing the nutrient load from the koi pond. Your plants will grow amazingly well, having access to all the nutrients the koi provide with fish waste!
Another way to address the problems you may encounter with your koi eating your plants, is to plant more plants with only their roots in the water on your shelf, where koi cannot reach them.
Some plants to consider are:
- Canna
- Iris
- Papyrus
- Taro
- Umbrella Palms
Plants like:
- lotus
- hibiscus
- variegated celery
among others, allow an inch of water above the top of the pot, where koi cannot reach to destroy the plants.
When placing floating plants like:
- Water Hyacinths
- Water Lettuce
- Frogbit
You may want to consider the use of a Koi Barrier--Koi Barriers keep the floating plants in the barrier and their roots can grow through the mesh to help take up the nutrients in the water. Our Koi Barriers are round and come in three sizes:
18" Diameter
24" Diameter
36" Diameter
_____________________________________________________________________________
Water Gardens:
Water Gardens may contain many different types of plants, there are three categories of plants for you to consider:
- Oxygenators
- Marginals
- Floating Plants
Oxygenators are plants that add value to the pond by delivering oxygen to the pond throughout the daytime. Hornwort, Cabomba, Vallisneria and Anacharis are some common oxygenators that we recommend.
Marginals are plants planted in the shallow areas of your pond or bog areas. They require moisture, but the largest portion of the plant is out of the water, with only the pots or roots submerged. These plants add value by taking up nutrients from the pond helping to avoid algae issues. Canna, Iris, Pickerel, Arrowhead, Papyrus, Taro, as well as many others are some of the plants we recommend. These plants help to clean and purify the water helping to remove heavy metals and other undesirable elements from your pond.
Floating Plants simply float on the surface of the water helping to remove nutrients from the water and providing shade for your pond. Floating plants add value to your pond by taking up nutrients from the pond and helping to provide shade, which in turn, helps to avoid algae growth.
Waterlilies:
There are two types of waterlilies for your water feature.
- Winter Hardy/Perennials
- Annual/Tropicals
Waterlilies add value as they take up additional nutrients from the pond and help to provide shade for your pond, helping to reduce algae growth. Waterlilies must be planted in containers and placed 6-36" beneath the surface of the water, in full sun. Waterlilies are the real jewels of the pond and come in winter hardy and tropical varieties. Tropicals will not survive the cold winters in the north as they will perish in temperatures below 65 degrees. If you have a natural bottom pond, waterlilies may be planted directly into the pond, 1-3' deep, in full sun.
When choosing waterlilies for your pond, consider the following:
- Your local temperatures--a winter hardy/perennial waterlily can withstand the cold temperatures in the north as long as the plant does not freeze throughout the winter months.
- A tropical waterlily/annual is considered an annual and will grow for one season in the north. Tropical/Annual waterlilies usually have brighter colors than perennial/winter hardy varieties and tropicals/annuals bloom profusely throughout the summer.
Waterlilies add the 'WOW' factor to any water garden feature!
Goldfish
Goldfish are a great addition to your water garden. Goldfish are a gentle fish and come in many varieties. Goldfish do not destroy plants and can peacefully coexist with other fish, including koi. Goldfish come in some exquisite colors and patterns and some have long, flowing fins and make an excellent addition to your backyard pond. If you do decide to add goldfish to your pond, consider purchasing a water test kit to be sure your water does not contain ammonia. Water Test Kits may be purchased on out site or bought locally. It is always important to test your water after a partial water change, and keeping a bottle of ammonia remover handy is usually a good idea!
The following are excellent choices for your backyard pond or water garden:
- Comets
- Red Fantails
- Calico Fantails
- Rosie Red Minnows
- Shubunkins
- Common Goldfish
Please consider the following when adding any fish to your backyard pond:
- Chlorine
- Chloramines
- Ammonia
- Heavy Metals
Water quality is an important factor when adding fish to your backyard pond or water feature. Is you pond filled with tap water containing chlorine and chloramines? Chlorine will dissipate from your water within 24 hours, however the chloramines must be treated with a water conditioner before you add fish to your pond.
Consider purchasing a water test kit to test your pond water for any toxic chemicals that may be lurking in your water. Water Test Kits are inexpensive and may help to keep your fish healthy. Water Test Kits also help you to determine the pH values in your pond. pH values of 7-8.6 are desirable for a healthy pond.
Japanese Trapdoor Snails
Japanese Trapdoor Snails are algae eaters and spend their lives on the sides and bottom of your pond or on your plants eating algae. They can be added to small, medium and large ponds. They are beneficial to your pond and have very few live young each year. They can withstand temperatures in the north if there is mud or sludge at the bottom of your pond to burrow into.
Bullfrog Tadpoles
Bullfrog Tadpoles may be added to small, medium and large ponds. It can take them up to two or three years to reach full maturity. Bullfrog Tadpoles are a fun and interesting addition to your pond as their chorus in the springtime adds another element to your water garden. Once the tadpoles mature the bullfrogs will stay close your pond, as they must have water to survive, but they will only stay if there is a source of food. If you plant specific around your pond that attract pollinators, there is more of a chance that the frogs will have a constant source of food. Pollinators are honey bees, butterflies, moths, flies and hummingbirds.
Some excellent plants that attract pollinators are:
Canna
Mexican Butterfly Flower
Aquatic Mint
Firecracker Plant
Chameleon Plant
Chinese Lizards Tail
Pickerel Rush
Lemon Drops
as well as several others
Every water garden is unique with special needs and characteristics. Let us help you create the perfect water garden for your backyard!
